The demolition contractor on the Old Ledbetter Bridge is continuing efforts to pull the top off of Pier “C” nearest the Livingston County shoreline of the Tennessee River. The demolition crew resumed work this morning, chipping away concrete just above the water line in an effort to weaken the pier, with the hope it could then be pulled over. Several attempts to use two large excavators to pull over the top of the pier through the afternoon hours were unsuccessful. The demolition team plans to come back on Tuesday morning to chip away additional concrete. That effort could take up to half a day, with another attempt to pull the pier over expected sometime around Noon, Tuesday. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 1 Spokesman Keith Todd says it’s somewhat reassuring that the 83 year old pier is resisting efforts to remove it. “I think it still being there is a testament to the craftsmanship and engineering that went into the old bridge when it was constructed in 1931,” Todd said. The top half of Pier “B” on the McCracken County side of the river was pulled over about 1:40 p.m., local time, last Tuesday. That pier had been cracked just above the water line when explosives used to detonate the steel truss over the river navigation channel rocked it over. That same explosion caused a crack near the top of Pier “C” on the Livingston side. Due to the cracks near the top of Pier “C” the demolition crew was forced to rig their cables lower on the pier, reducing ability of excavators to pull it over. At this time, the contractor is still on track to detonate the lower half of both piers sometime Thursday. Drilling of the lower portion of Pier “B” for explosives is expected to be complete around Noon Tuesday. Provided the crew can pull over Pier “C” on Tuesday, the drilling crew can immediately move over and start drilling to prepare it for explosives. That would allow enough time to complete the drilling, load explosives, and be prepared for detonation on Thursday afternoon. Once the bottom portion of both piers is detonated, the contractor will use a clam shell bucket to remove concrete chunks from the bottom of the river.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 01:40:55 +0000
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